2. Contact Info

3. Dealer Selection

The 2013 Mini Cooper S Coupe offers more style than the conventional Mini hatchback. But what must one give up for the stylish sloping roof and two-seat configuration? To find out, we took the two-seat S Coupe up scenic Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) to Northern California, then over to Reno, Nevada, before heading back to Southern California.

While it may have been quicker to take the freeway to Santa Monica before hitting Highway 1, we took Pacific Coast Highway from Long Beach all the way to Santa Cruz for the full PCH experience. Clutch feel on the Mini Coupe is good and never gets tiring – even in heavy stop-and-go traffic. The fun really began when the highway turned twisty, as the S Coupe never missed a beat, effortlessly attacking winding roads at double the suggested speeds. The S Coupe had no problem around the winding and infamously dangerous Highway 17 from Santa Cruz over to the Bay Area.

More than once while cruising in sixth gear, I tried to upshift due to the more-than-expected low-rpm torque from the turbocharged 1.6-liter I-4. The abundant torque also reduced the need to downshift – even while passing slower moving cars uphill on I-80 through Tahoe National Park toward Reno. In fact, the S Coupe didn’t need to be downshifted from sixth gear anytime at highway speeds or on two-lane roads.

The only real annoyance concerned the navigation system: the screen didn’t list the distance to or name of the next turn and the guidance voice was too quiet to hear. If there is a way to turn up the volume, it must be buried deep in the settings menu. Other than that, the Mini S Coupe proved to be a good traveling companion that rode smooth on nearly every road surface, while offering go kart-like handling. The optional Recaro seats even remained comfortable after nine-hour stints behind the wheel.

The S Coupe got lots of looks and compliments during our trip. Over the course of three days, the Mini Cooper S Coupe averaged 31.8 mpg (with the worst and best legs of the trip at 30.4 mpg and 33.3 mpg, respectively) in a mix of city/traffic driving and spirited highway speeds over the course of 1462 miles. Those numbers compare favorably to the EPA-rated 26/35 mpg city/highway and 29 mpg combined ratings. Without a rear seat, the S Coupe offers room for two people, two carry-on suitcases, and more.